U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for October 30

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30: "THE WAR OF THE WORLDS"

Profile America — Saturday, October 30th.  It may sound like an urban myth — but it really happened.  On this night in 1938, many Americans in Eastern cities panicked as their radios told them that Martians had landed and were attacking earth.  The event was an adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel, "The War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater group, using fictitious news bulletins to achieve realism.  The concept was announced at the start of the program, but many of those tuning in late became hysterical, fleeing big cities and causing massive traffic jams.  When the broadcast was made, about eight-out-of-10 U.S. homes had a radio.  Now, even with many other entertainment sources,  radio is almost universal, and the average home has eight radios.  Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 539

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 796, 10

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1095

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau